Shoot on mobile

Utilize the manual settings

Sometimes it can feel like the camera on your smartphone has got a mind of its own. The automatic settings are great for taking photos, but not always ideal for shooting video. By disabling auto mode and using the camera’s manual settings you’ll have complete control over the images you create.

Actions you can take:

Adjust the depth of focus and exposure manually to produce a sharp, clear image.

Lock both the exposure and focus to avoid the camera changing brightness and sharpness during your shoot.

Tips

Hold your camera horizontally to shoot in 16:9 high definition

Use the phone‘s rear camera which often records in a higher resolution

Choose the right lighting

Phones like light -- a lot of it! Good lighting helps keep viewers engaged and interested in your video. You’ll want to consider the limitations of the camera on your mobile device and then arrange your lighting setup to create the effect you’re going for.

Soft, even lighting will help your camera’s image sensor maintain detail in the brightest and darkest parts of the image.

Actions you can take:

To achieve soft and even lighting, try shooting on a cloudy day. This can result in a good-looking, detailed image.

On sunny days, try shooting in the shade to avoid bright sun and dark shadows.

When filming at home, you can capture natural light by setting your camera up near a window.

See it in action

Learn the fundamentals of lighting a subject then apply it to your mobile phone shoot!

Record good sound

It’s important that audiences can watch your video and understand what the characters are saying. Good sound quality can also cut time in post-production, so it’ll help to get it right on the day of your shoot.

Believe it or not, your phone has a good microphone! Here’s a list of things you can do to help record great sound when shooting with your phone.

Try placing your subject as close to the microphone as you can.

Think through your shooting locations so that your subject can enter or move around within a shot without creating extra noise, which can be distracting. Don’t forget that even small background noises can have a major effect on your end result.

Consider using an external microphone to improve your sound quality when filming in a loud environment.

Tips

Make the most out of your phone

Phones are small! Which means you can get shots you may never be able to achieve with a bulkier DSLR or camcorder. Having advanced computers inside of them also means you’re not just limited to production on your phone -- you can now edit and upload videos from them too.

Actions you can take:

Take exciting shots! A selfie stick will allow you to film yourself when walking around, while a gorilla pod can give you the freedom to attach your phone anywhere.

Experiment with different looks for your video by using clip on macro or fisheye lenses available for your phone.

You can go live on your mobile device with the click of a button. Just hit the video icon in the YouTube app and you're good to go. When you're done recording, you can add a title, description, music and even filters.